06/03/2026
For Immediate Release
SIX CORRECTION OFFICERS INJURED AFTER VIOLENT ATTACK BY INMATE AT CHESHIRE CI AS STAFFING, CONTRABAND CRISIS CONTINUES
On Monday, June 1st, 2026, correction officers at Cheshire Correctional Institution discovered a contraband “hot pot” modified to reach dangerous, high temperatures during a routine search of an inmate’s cell. As is policy, the correction officers involved attempted to issue a receipt to the inmate for the seized commissary item.
However, instead of cooperating with correctional staff, the inmate in question chose to enter the officers’ station and proceeded to punch multiple officers in the face. At least six officers sustained injuries while attempting to restrain the violent inmate, and four of those six officers sought outside medical treatment at an area hospital.
This attack is yet another in a long line of deeply concerning incidents inside Connecticut’s correctional facilities. It is emblematic of a larger safety crisis driven by chronic short-staffing, the continued influx of contraband, and the State's failure to provide correction officers with the tools, resources, and support they need to do this dangerous job safely. Every day, correction officers walk into facilities where violence is rising, staffing levels are stretched to the breaking point, where they face an unchecked flood of contraband—fatal drugs and dangerous items that can be turned into weapons capable of causing serious harm—and are denied the means to do their job.
Officers are being asked to maintain order, protect the public, and keep one another safe under increasingly volatile conditions, while leadership refuses to act. This incident should serve as another clear warning: Connecticut cannot continue to ignore the deteriorating conditions inside its correctional system. Our correction officers need safe staffing levels, modern tools to stem the tide of contraband entering facilities, and decisive action by leadership before more officers are seriously hurt.
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